All one has to do is look at whether or not Congress authorized the monetary outlay. Just like with Obama, Congress can veto a measure undertaken by the President unilaterally simply by refusing to fund it.

John Taylor of Caroline won the debate in congress that the Louisiana purchase was constitutional....

One thing to note: the Founding Fathers were learned and studious men who had worked hard since youth. Washington had served as a scout in the French and Indian War. Jefferson was a wealthy landowner, but also a student and inventor. Adams entire family was heavily involved in the Boston political scene and he was schooled in law but also maintained a family farm. Franklin was an inventor and successful publisher. Most of the others had similar stories.

These men also had an innate understanding of what was right: how people should be able to run their own lives. And that understanding and conviction ran so deep they were willing to pledge their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" on making it happen.

That is primarily what we are missing in today's America: those with the internal drive to hold the course no matter what. Until we can rekindle that kind of fire in our progeny, this nation will continue to be run by the lazy and indolent who are too busy being entertained to study, learn, and educate themselves in the principles of freedom.

No doubt. This is exactly the reason our founders established a Republic with a Constitution. As long as there was strict adherence to the Constitution the Republic survives. As soon as the Constitution is set aside we become a Democracy, which by the way is what has been taught in schools for years, and the nation declines as stated in the quote. We are there in my opinion.

My favorite quote:
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.
Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency
Alexander Tyler. Scottish historian quoting from others.

How prophetic.

All the good quotes came from Jeffy before he became president. After that you find such things “Let’s get this deal done (Louisiana Purchase) before anyone realizes it is illegal.” Power does indeed corrupt.

I wish I had the magic answer. I keep coming back to the fact the we really cannot make anyone see anything. They have to see it themselves, hopefully before there is no chance to return to freedom.

I sadly have to state that I agree with you.

It bring up the question what can we do to help people understand that eventually we will get to where it is freedom or death, in a very uncomfortable way; really how do we help them understand we are all ready there. Only its not death of body that is faced if freedom is not taken its death of mind.

Sadly, I think a lot of the people who are for political correctness and the big, protectionist state think they are enacting the legacy of these men. They think "the common good" is about proactive government adjudicating and legislating on some form of material parity rather than as a protector of equal rights, which, when secured, are the real common good. They've never read in depth any of the Founders.

IMHO, there cannot/will not be people like those 3, or any of the other founders simply because there is no one in our generation that was forced to deal with the hardships of that day. We have lost many of the freedoms that they fought for but most people don't realize it. At that time there was no unemployment insurance, it was earn/catch/grow food or die. There was no welfare, it was work or die. Every single freedom lost back then was felt. It was either fight for freedom or die, literally. Unfortunately I don't believe we will have people of that caliber until life becomes so hard that the choices are freedom or death. I so wish to be wrong.

Great post Xenok. Good to see you're still around.

Thanks.

Sorry but I have to answer in the negative. They are not leaders in government or politics because that has become an activity that only serves itself at the expense of the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people.